Question

Which kind of therapy was given in 1990 to a four-year-old girl with adenosine deaminase [ADA] deficiency ?

• A. Gene therapy
• B. Chemotherapy
• C. Immunotherapy
• D. Radiation therapy

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The correct answer is:

Option 1: Gene therapy

Explanation:

In 1990, a four-year-old girl with adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency was treated using gene therapy. ADA deficiency is a genetic disorder that affects the immune system, leading to severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). The condition is caused by a mutation in the gene responsible for producing the ADA enzyme, which is crucial for the proper functioning of the immune system.

In this groundbreaking treatment, gene therapy was used to insert a healthy copy of the ADA gene into the patient's cells, providing them with the ability to produce the ADA enzyme. This marked one of the first successful uses of gene therapy in humans and opened the doors for further research and development in genetic treatments for inherited diseases.

Chemotherapy: This is a treatment for cancer and other diseases but was not the therapy used for ADA deficiency in this case.

Immunotherapy: This is used to treat cancer or to modulate the immune system, but it was not the primary treatment for ADA deficiency.

Radiation therapy: This is primarily used to treat cancer and was not relevant for this genetic disorder.

Therefore, gene therapy was the correct treatment option in this case.